Railway braking apparatus



March 28, 1944. 1 W. LOGAN, JR 2,345,488

' RAILWAYABRAKING APPARATUS Filed May 30, 1942 2 sheets-sheet 1v ffl Patented Mar. 28, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT fori-ICE RAILWAY BRAKING APPARATUS John W. Logan, Jr., Forest Hills, Pa., assigner to The Union Switch & Signal Company, Swissvale, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Applieation May 30, 1942, seria1N0.445,215

(el. 18s-62) 3 Claims.

My invention relates to railway braking apparatus, and particularly to braking apparatus of the type described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,273,481, granted to Herbert L. Bone on February 17, 1942.

Inbraking apparatus of the type referred to thetrack rails are supported for vertical movement by means of a plurality of lever units disposed at spaced intervals along the rails. Each lever unit includes two levers pivoted on opposite sides of the associated rail, and each lever is provided with one arm which engages the underside of the track rail and another arm which extends upwardly along the side of the track rail and supports a braking bar for engagement with the sides of car wheels traversing the rail. -The braking bars are normally spaced apart a distance which is less than the widths of car wheels, and when a car enters the apparatus, the wheels force the braking bars apart, which causes the rail to rise vertically and hence causes the weight of the car to act through the levers to exert on the braking bars a force which is proportional to the weight of the car. The points about which the levers pivot are free to shift laterally relative to the rail to permit the braking bars to` accommodate themselves to the different lateral positions Athe different car wheels assume relative to the rail and to at times permit the braking bars to move away `from the rails to non- Ybraking positions in which the apparatus is ineffective to retard cars, but are normally restrained from shifting except in unison by pneumatic means which when supplied with fluid pressure acts to move `the braking bars to, and retain them in, their braking positions.

vSystems of yard operation have recently been vproposed which make it desirable to lbe able to ,divide at least one `of the track rails within the limits of braking apparatus of the type described `into a plurality of relatively short insulated control sections, and at the same time enable this `one rail to be fastened to the opposite rail by a series of tie rods to prevent both rails from tipping. One object of my present invention is to .provide means whereby this desirable result may be accomplished.

According to my invention, the relatively short control sections of the one rail are clamped between splice bars which extend 4underneath the heads of the control sections and into .the fishing spaces, overlie the flanges of the control sections, and also underlie the bottom surfaces of the control sections so that a very rigid construc- Ation is provided. The splice bars are insulated from the control sections by one or more insulating members of such shape that they will snugly engage at least that portion of the outer surface of the control sections which would be engaged by the splice bars if the insulating members were not provided, and insulating end posts are interposed between the abutting ends of the control sections. The rail sections are so disposed that the abuting ends Vof alternate sections will be located approximately midway between lever units, and clamped against the outer sides of the inner splice bar opposite the adjoining ends of certain Aones of the sections by means of insulated bolts extending through the sec tions and the splice bars are angle brackets to which one end of a tie rod is fastened. This tie rod extends transversely of the rails and is secured at its opposite end to the opposite rail and serves to prevent both rails from tipping.

Other objects and characteristic features `of my invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

I shall describe one form of braking apparatus embodying my invention, and shall then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing one form of braking apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is anenlarged sectional view taken on the line I I-II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an venlarged top plan view of a portion of the apparatus illustrated in Figs. l and2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line IV-jIV of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line V-V of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in veach of the several views.

Referring rst to Fig. 1, the 4braking apparatus here illustrated comprises two 'braking bars Al and BI supported on opposite sides of one track rail RI of a stretch of railway track by means of a plurality of lever units disposed at spaced intervals along the rail, and two similar braking bars A2 and B2 Asupported on opposite sides of the other track rail R2 of the stretch by rneans of a plurality of other lever units disposed at intervals along Ythe rail.

The lever units are each similar to `the lever unit shown in Fig. 2, and -it is believed therefore that a description of this unit will suffice for all. Referring to Fig. `2, the unit here'ShOwn comprises two levers L and Ll pi-votally supportedon Opposite sides of the rail Rl by means ef .rollers 5 Which Fille Qn ll SllIfCCS 5 Provided 01.1 .84.51111- porting member l1' :mountedon a .crosstie 3. `fliie piston 41 v U'by' means of a compressedl coil spring 48. The

of the associated braking bar AI or BI, and inl I the preferred construction of the braking apparatus, this beam is also cast integrally with the vertical arm of at least one adjacent lever unit. Removably secured to eachbrakebeam I is a brake shoe I I disposed in a positionfto frictionally engage the adjacent side faces of car wheels traversing the rail RI. The "brake shoes Il also comprise part of the associated braking bars. Y

Formed in the levers L and LI at one side joftthe associated roller a little abbve Vthe axis 'oftheroller are aligned openings I2 and I3 and "extending with clearance through these openings is a spring bolt I4-one end' of which is provided .with -a rocker' nut IS'having rounded projections l5 disposedon oppositesides of the bolt and tting into mating grooves I1 formed in the lever LI adjacent the outer end of the opening I3. The nut I5 is arranged to be locked against rotation relative to the bolt-'by means of a cotter key I8. The other end of the spring bolt I4 is provided with a fluid' pressure cylinder-48 formed integrally with a combined cam guide' and mounting bracket 4I. The combined cam guide and :mounting bracket 'is provided With a through hole 42, Awhich receivesthe springbolt I4 with some clearance, and is securedfto the lever L on oppositesides of the spring bolt by means of mounting boltsf43 whichfexten'd through laterallyfsp'aced apertured lugs-44 (see'Fig. 5) provided in vthe bracket and` are screwed into tapped holes formed in the lever. Thewcylinder 4u is 'closed at its upper yend by acylinderhead 45, and 'isarranged -to be'at times supplied with fluid pressure through a pipe 46 which is screwed into Aa 'suitable opening provided in the cylinder lhead 45. Mounted in the cylinderliil is 'a reciprocable which is biased to a retracted position -piston 41 drives a piston rod 49, the lowerend of which is formed with an integral bifurcated cam '55 *which straddles the spring bolt I4.` The cam Solis-formed on the Vside Afarthest lfrom the lever Lm with inclined cam surfaces 5I, and Ythese Icam surfaces cooperate with horizontally aligned rounded bulges 52a provided on a gauge adjusting nut 52 screwed? onto the outerfend of the spring bolt I4. The nut 52 is arranged toA be locked lin an' adjusted position by means of a "sotterkey53.

The leversL and LI are biased to the positions in'- which the rounded bulges 52a on theV nut 52 .engage thercam surfaces 5I', and the lever LI engages the nut. I5, by a spacing spring 28 disposed fon the bolt I4I between the levers. lThis'spring is suciently stiff to move 'the levers Lf and Lil laterally away from the rails lwhen the piston 41 is moved to its retracted position. 1

The lever unit illustrated also comprises means for Vpositioning the brake shoes laterally with respect to the rail when no car is traversing the rail -RI'I to facilitate the smooth entry of car wheels into the retarder.- As here shown, these means comprise *springs .3u and 3l' mounted on spring bolts 32 and 33. l'The spring bolts extend through Yof the bolts, and serve to bias the bolts to the positions in which the heads of the bolts engage the associated rail assembly opposite the web of the rail. To facilitate adjusting the bolts the outer ends of the bolts are flattened on two sides for the reception of a wrench or equivalent tool,

l and lock nuts 31 are provided to lock the bolts in their adjusted positions. The bolts are so ad `iusted that when the bolts are engaging the rail assembly and the nuts are engaging the inner ends of the recesses 35, the levers will occupy the proper positions relative to the rail to cause a smooth entry of car wheels between the brake shoes.

The track rails Ri and R2 are disposed within channels 4 formed on the supportsZ, and are free to move vertically through a limited distance when a car enters the retarder, as will be made clear presently.

The portion of the braking apparatus thus far described is identical to that described and claimed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,273,481, referred to hereinbefore, and its operation is as follows: When itis desired to retard cars by means of the braking apparatus, fluid pressure is admitted to the uid pressure cylinder 45 of each of the lever units, so that the piston 41 of each of these units is moved to and hold in its lower or projected position. With the pistons 41 in their projected positions, the nut 52 of each unit engages the cam surfaces 5I on the associated cam 5i] at their high portions, and these units are so adjusted and the parts are so proportioned that under these conditions' the levers L and LI will be moved toward each other to positions in which the spacing between the brake shoes II is less than the widths of car wheels. If, now, with the parts in these positions, a car enters the retarder, the wheels of the car will force the brake shoes apart. This movement of the brake shoes will, of course, tend to cause the levers L and LI to move laterally away from the rail, and will also tend to cause the levers to pivot about the aXes of the rollers 5. Lateral movement of the levers away from the rail, however, is resisted by the action of the uid pressure cylinders 4, andthe parts are further so proportioned that when the pistons 41 are held in their projected positions lby iiuidat the proper pressure, the force exerted by the pistons 41 on the cams 5! will be sumcient to limit movement of the levers to rotation about the axes o the rollers 5 for all vehicles having a weight less than a predetermined weight, for example, '10 tons, but that, if a vehiclehaving a weight in excess of this predeterminedweight traverses the retarder, the reaction force will move the pistons 41 upwardly a sulilcient amount to prevent damage to the apparatus. The reaction force necessary to cause the pistons 41 to move upwardly depends in part on Athe slope of the cam surfaces 5I, and this slope may be varied in have once started to move upwardly, the force required to complete the movement will decrease. Rotation of the levers about the axes of the rolllers will act through the rollers 9 to raise the rail Rl a distance which depends upon the original spacing between the brake shoes Il, as determined by the adjustment of the nuts 52, and which distance is proportional to the width of the car wheels. The raising of the rail RI will lift the car with it, and it will be seen, therefore, that the car will act through the rail to exert on the levers a force which urges the brake shoes into frictional engagement with the opposite side faces of the car wheels to thereby cause the brake shoes to exert on the car wheels a frictional force which is proportional to the weight of the car.

If the car weighs enough to force the pistons 41 upwardly, the levers will move laterally away from the rail and no raising of the rails will take place.

When air is exhausted from the cylinders d, the springs 48 will move the pistons 4'! to their upper positions and permit the springs 28 to move the braking bars away from the rail to inactive or non-braking positions.

It has recently been proposed to control the supply of fluid pressure to the fluid pressure motors of braking apparatus of the type described by means of speed responsive apparatus in such manner that the motors will be supplied with fluid to cause the braking apparatus to retard cars, or will be vented to atmosphere to render the apparatus ineffective to retard cars, according as the speed of a car passing through the apparatus is above or below a predetermined speed. One form of speed responsive apparatus which has been suggested for obtaining the desired control requires that at least one of the track rails be divided into a plurality of relatively short sections which are effectively insulated from each other and from the remainder of the braking apparatus. My present invention relates to a means which I shall now describe for providing the desired control sections, which means will not interfere with the normal functioning of the retarder, and which at the same time will permit the two track rails to be secured together at spaced intervals by suitable tie rods to prevent the rails from tipping.

The desired control sections may be formed in either one of the rails, but as here illustrated they are formed in the rail RI. These sections which are here designated Rla, Rib, RIC, etc., will usually be of uniform lengths, and their lengths may be varied as conditions require, but the lengths of these sections will preferably be such that two wheels of a car cannot occupy the same section at any one time. The control sections are clamped by means of bolts 55 between two splice bars 55 and 51. These splice bars are of uniform cross section throughout their entire lengths, and may either be made long enough to extend past all of the rail sections, or they may be articulated to facilitate manufacture and handling, if desired. Each splice bar as shown consists of an angle bar portion a fitting the shing spaces of the control sections, and a horizontal inwardly extending rail supporting base portion b, which is integral with the angle bar portion a and which forms therewith a flange receiving space or pocket for the flanges of the control sections. It will be seen therefore that the splice bars engage underneath the heads of the control sections, extend into the fishing spaces, overlie the flanges of the control sections, and also underlie the bottom surfaces of the control sections, so that a very rigid construction is provided. Interposed between the control sections and the splice bars are one or more insulating members 58 of such shape that they will snugly engage at least all that portion of the outer surface of the control sections which would be engaged by the splice bars if the insulating members 53 were not provided, and interposed between the abutting ends of the control sections are insulating end posts 59. Preferably at least two of the bolts 55 are provided adjacent each end of each section, and these bolts are insulated from the splice bars by means of insulating sleeves 60, which surround the bolts where they pass through the splice bars, and insulating plates El which are interposed between the splice bars and the heads or nuts on the bolts, as the case may be. To better distribute the pressure on the insulating plates pressure plates 62 are preferably provided on the outer ends of the bolts.

The rail sections are preferably so disposed that the abutting ends of alternate sections will be located approximately midway between lever units, and' clamped against the outer sides of the inner splice bar 5l opposite the adjoining ends of certain ones of the sections by means of the four associated clamping bolts 55 is an angle bracket 53 to which one end of a tie bar 64 is secured. These tie bars extend transversely of the braking apparatus below the two inside braking bars Bl and B2, and each is secured at the end opposite to the insulated rail Ri to the other rail R2 by means of an angle bracket 65 which may be similar to the angle bracket 63. It will be apparent that since the rails are secured together by means of the tie bars, they are free to move vertically but are effectively prevented from tipping.

The wear plates 65 referred to hereinbefore serve to provide a flat bearing surface between the bottoms of the splice bars and the rollers 9, and these wear plates may either be welded to one of the splice bars or may be loosely disposed in a rectangular recess formed in the associated support 2 underneath the rail RI. It will be understood, of course, that one wear plate will be associated with each support 2 associated with the rail RI The wear plates are not required in connection with the rail R2 since the underside of this rail presents a nat surface which may be engaged directly by the associated rollers.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of braking apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A rail construction comprising a plurality of relatively short rail sections disposed end to end, splice bars bolted to the opposite sides of said sections for securing said sections together, means for insulating said sections from each other and from said splice bars, means for insulating said bolts from said splice bars, and a bracket spanning the abutting ends of two of said sections and clamped against the one splice bar by means of the same bolts which secure said sections together, whereby said bracket is insulated from the rail sections, said bracket serving as a means to secure a tie rod to the sections and maintain it insulated therefrom.

2, A rail construction comprising a plurality of relatively short railsections disposed end to end, splice bars bolted to the opposite sides of said sections for rigidly securing said sections together, each said splice bar comprising an angle bar portion tting the shing spaces of the sections and a horizontal inwardly extending rail supporting base portion which is integral with the angle bar portion and which forms therewith a flange receiving space or pocket for the flanges of the sections, whereby the splice bars engage underneath the heads of the rail sections, extend into the fishing spaces, overlie the flanges of the rail sections, and also underlie the bottom surfaces of the rail sections, insulating members interposed between the rail sections and the splice bars, said members being of such shape that they will snugly engage at least all that portion of the outer surface of the sections which would be en-Y gaged by the splice bars if the insulating members were not provided, insulating end plates interposed between the abutting ends of the sections, at least two vbolts being provided adjacent each end of each section, insulating sleeves surrounding the bolts where they pass through the splice bars, pressure plates disposed between the splice bars and the outer ends of the bolts, insulating plates interposed between the pressure plates and the splice bars, and a. bracket spanning the abutting ends of two of said sections and clamped between the insulating plate and the outer side of the one splice bar by means of the same bolts which secure the splice bars to the sections, whereby said bracket is insulated from the rail sections, said bracket serving as a means to secure a tie rod to the sections and maintain it insulated therefrom.

3. The combination with a car retarder comprising a pair of track rails supported for vertical movement by means of a plurality of lever units disposed at spaced intervals along the rails and braking bars supported by the lever units on opposite sides of the rails for frictional engagement with the wheels of cars traversing the rails in response to the weight of the cars, of a plurality of relatively short rail sections formed in one rail, splice bars bolted to the opposite sides of the sections for rigidly securing them together, means for insulating the splice bars from the rail sections, means for insulating the rail sections from each other, said sections being so arranged that the abutting ends of certain sections are disposed between the units, brackets secured to said certain sections by means of the same bolts which secure the splice bars to the sections and overlapping the abutting ends thereof, and tie bars each secured at one end to one of said brackets and at the other end to the opposite rail to prevent the rails from tipping.

JOHN W. LOGAN, JR. 

